Mom of woman stabbed to death in Walmart files lawsuit

The mother of a 38-year-old woman who was stabbed to death by her husband while she was at work at a bank inside a Walmart has filed a lawsuit that names a sheriff, two deputies, the director of Emergency Medical Services, 911 dispatchers, the Walmart and the bank as defendants.

Lilia Blandin was at work in the Woodforest National Bank branch in the Walmart on White Horse Road in Berea on Dec. 10, 2011 when her husband, Avery Blandin, stabbed her, dragged her over a desk and stomped on her head and neck. Avery Blandin pleaded guilty and was given a 30-year sentence for murder and 5-year sentence for possession of a weapon during a violent crime. The sentences will be served consecutively.

Blandin had a history of domestic violence and at the time of the homicide, there were several pending charges against him for allegedly assaulting his wife.

The day before she was killed, Lilia Blandin had called 911. In the recording of the call she is heard saying, "I need some help because my husband has been arrested for domestic violence and he’s out of jail. And he’s in my house now. And I take my clothes. I try to leave the house so I don’t have to stay with him. And I try to get my stuff out. He beat me on the stomach and told me he was going to kill me. My baby is on the second floor and I have to go get her but I don’t want to go inside because I know he’s going to put me in a room and beat me up."

The lawsuit filed by Lilia Blandin's mother on behalf of the couple's children, who were 10, 7 and 3 at the time of her death, claims the way the 911 call was handled, the lack of action by the deputies who responded, the lack of security and assistance by the bank and the Walmart all contributed to Blandin's death.

The lawsuit states that Lilia Blandin called for help on the morning of Dec. 9, 2011, after she had been beaten by her husband and had spent the night in her car at her house with her daughters because her son was inside. Despite her telling dispatchers that her husband had a history of violence and she felt her life was in danger, the lawsuit says the call was mistakenly logged as a custody issue, not a domestic violence issue.

The lawsuit says the dispatcher interrupted Blandin repeatedly during the call, and disregarded her allegations of domestic abuse and threats made by her husband. The lawsuit claims that the dispatcher was also irritated that Lilia Blandins's sister had also called 911 on her behalf.

The suit says it took 36 minutes for two deputies to arrive at the Blandins' home. It says those deputies failed to investigate the pending charges against Avery Blandin or his criminal record, nor did the deputies speak with the children who had heard the threats against their mother.

The lawsuit says the deputies did not research the situation enough to find that Avery Blandin was released from custody after two prior domestic violence incidents in the preceding 17 months, and that there were "no contact orders" against Blandin.

Lilia Blandin retrieved some of her belongings and her son from the home and went to her mother's house, according to the lawsuit. When she returned later in the day to see if her husband was gone and to get more of her belongings, she found their minivan in the driveway with the tires all slashed. The lawsuit says when Blandin's mother told her to call police about it, she said, "Oh momma, they'll just say it's only my version again."

On the day she was killed, Lilia Blandin and her mother woke to find a tire on the mother's car slashed outside her home.

Lilia Blandin went to work at the bank on the morning of Dec. 10. The lawsuit says despite Avery Blandin calling the bank's phone line 50 times over three hours that morning and co-workers knowledge of the couple's history of violence, the bank did nothing to increase security to protect Lilia Blandin.

At 1:15 p.m., Avery Blandin attacked and stabbed his wife. She was taken to a hospital where she later died.

Dan Farnsworth, an attorney who is representing the family, said, "All of the money in the world will not bring Lilia Blandin back to life, but the family wants the people that caused this to be held accountable."

The lawsuit says the Walmart failed to add adequate security at the store, despite 854 crimes reported at the store in the 36 months prior to the homicide.

"The law requires stores and banks protect customers," Farnsworth said. "If they are aware of crime over and over -- a pattern of crime -- they're required by law to beef up security."

The lawsuit also says, despite a brutal attack happening in the store, the Walmart elected to stay open for Christmas shopping.

Walmart released a statement saying, "The death of Lilia Blandin was a tragedy and we extend our deepest condolences to her loved ones. We, and the entire community, were deeply saddened by the events that occurred inside the space we leased to the bank. We respectfully disagree with the allegations raised against us. Because this is an ongoing matter, we are unable to discuss details of the case."

The lawsuit names the deputies and the dispatcher and claims that they were negligent and did not follow established procedures and orders.

The lawsuit is seeking damages under the South Carolina Wrongful Death Act and names Lilia Blandin's children as beneficiaries. The lawsuit is asking for a jury trial.

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